Dear !*TITLE*! !*LASTNAME*!,
This is last reminder the FCCJ Fishing Tour on Sat. 23 June. We still have a couple of slots left. If you would like to participate and have not yet signed up, do so at latest on Wednesday. More information below!
We are still planning for an event end of July and will provide information as soon as details are fixed. The autumn season starts off with our traditional Yakatabune (river boat) Cruise on Friday, 31 August. Mark this in your calendar and if you are interested to know more, click here!
Before taking a summer break, we have new contribution from our "Aoyama View" columnist, titled "From Singapore to soccer - wrap up for summer".
Click banner for a great review of the Singapore Summit as well as views on current issue in Japanese business and politics!

Saturday, 23 June - FCCJ Special Event

FCCJ is making its second fishing tour on Saturday, 23 June.
Come and enjoy fishing in hopefully nice weather, a lot of fish and definitely in good company! We will be catching Aji (horse mackerel) and according to our expert you should catch many, tens....
We tour will start from Kurihama, behind Yokosuka.
Thanks to the support of MOS Tax Corporation, the fee for the tour is only 8,000 yen for FCCJ members. The fee includes the fishing, fishing rod, bait as well as lunch and drinks onboard.
The fishing company Kurihama Kurokawa Honke's web site is here.
To check out what it is all about, check here for a report from last year's tour.
We have 6 slots left of the 12 available, so sign up soon!
Non-members will only be accepted after registration dead-line if space is available.
Details:

Transportation:
The tour starts at 8:00 and you can go there by train, Keikyu line from Shinagawa at 6.37 arriving at Keikyu Kurihama at 7:36 (59 mins).
From the station we can arrange transportation to the port, 7-8 mins. by car.
Some will go by car so we can also do ride-sharing.
Note that the cost for transportation to/from Kurihama is not included in the fee.
To register, click link at right. Please note that we will invoice the fee in advance. Cancellations after 20 June and no-shows will be charged.

Monday, 25 June - Embassy of the Netherlands to Japan and NCCJ Event
Activity Based Working - A Solution for Workstyle Change in Japan?
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Japan and the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in Japan, request the pleasure of your company at a workshop provided by Veldhoen+Company, a Dutch leading consultancy firm in Activity Based Working.
Ms. Iolanda Meehan, Managing Partner at Veldhoen+Company Asia, will explain the concept of Activity Based Working and how the physical workplace can be one of the most powerful leadership levers to drive workstyle change in Japan.
Date: Monday, 25 June
Time: 16:15-18.30
Venue: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 3-6-3, Shiba-koen, Minato-ku
Click link at right for more information and registration.

Finnair, Japan Airlines and the Finland-Japan Chamber of Commerce have a great pleasure of inviting you to the Japan Golf Day Tournament in Finland on Wednesday, 1 August.
Place: Kullo Golf Club, Golftie 119, 06830 Kulloonkylä (near Porvoo) Web site:www.kullogolf.fiProgram:
07:30 Registration, breakfast at Club House
08:30 Shot gun start
12:30- Optional Finnish Sauna for those interested, followed by lunch and prize giving ceremony at the Club House.
To for more information and to register, click link at right.

Information from the EU Delegation to Japan
Rules of Origin Questionnaire and Test Version of an Online Tool
The European Commission is committed to ensure effective implementation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) concluded by the EU and to facilitate that EU economic operators, in particular SMEs, take advantage of EU FTAs.
When the European Union concludes an FTA with a partner country, its exporters can benefit from reduced duty (or duty-free) treatment when exporting to that country. In order to qualify for this preferential treatment, the product must meet the rules of origin criteria set by that FTA.
The European Commission is assessing the feasibility of creating an online tool that could guide the economic operators to better understand the criteria that need to be met in order to benefit from preferential tariff treatment. The test version of this tool is accompanied by a questionnaire to better understand the rules of origin related questions exporters face.
The questionnaire and the test version of the online tool are accessible via the Market Access Database: http://madb.europa.eu/madb/indexPubli.htm

News from FinlandSales up by nearly 6%, led by brisk car business
Most sales figures rose this past spring, but there were some dark spots. For instance, sales of daily consumer goods dipped slightly.
According to Statistics Finland, overall sales climbed by 5.9 percent in April compared to a year earlier. Leading the way were motor vehicle sales, which surged by 13.6 percent over 2017.
Growth in wholesale trade outpaced that in retail, rising by 6.4 percent compared to 1.3 percent for retail trade. The strongest retail sales came from specialised stores, while there was actually a slight decline of 1.6 percent in sales of daily consumer goods. Department store sales remained flat, the official number-crunchers said on Wednesday.
Over the first four months of the year, retail sales were up by 3.2 percent while wholesale trade rose by 5.2 percent year-on-year. Car sales gained 5.5 percent in the January-through-April period. Overall trade was 4.7 percent higher than in early 2017.
The central statistics office points out a quirk of spring retail reporting: the variable date of Easter. Its reported annual changes in sales are not adjusted according to seasons or trading days. In other words the impact of public holidays is not considered. So, for example, Easter falling in different months shows up in food sales during March and April.

Grin of the WeekThe Self-Confident Males...
When a car skidded on wet pavement and struck a telephone pole, several bystanders ran over to help the driver.
A women was the first to reach the victim, but a man rushed in and pushed her aside. 'Step aside, lady,' he barked. 'I've taken a course in first-aid!'
The women watched for a few minutes, then tapped him on the shoulder. 'Pardon me,' she said. 'But when you get to the part about calling a doctor, I'm right here.'

If you have any comments, rumors, gossip or inside information, send it to: fccj@gol.com

ABOUT THIS BULLETIN
This bulletin is
published by the Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Japan (FCCJ) and
distributed to over 700 recipients among its members and related
organizations. FCCJ was established in April 1999 to promote trade and
economic exchange between Japan and Finland and has today 62 corporate
members, 18 individual and two special members.